Loghain’s betrayal

After you’ve picked your background and lived out whatever trauma is associated with it, Dragon Age: Origins puts you at the center of a battle with a darkspawn horde. Your job is to signal for reinforcements to help defeat an army of bloodthirsty monsters, but before the battle starts, the vibes seem off. The golden retriever King Cailain is jazzed about the incoming battle, though his father-in-law Loghain Mac Tir seems less enthusiastic. The tension between the two is tangible, but who are you to get involved in royal family affairs? However, when you signal for reinforcements, Loghain instead commands his forces to retreat, leaving everyone, including you and his own son-in-law, for dead at the hands of the Blight. Most of the preceding origin stories are full of some kind of betrayal. You might think you would get some respite from it at some point, but Origins doubles down, reminding you that you know nothing of this world and the lengths people will go to get what they want.